Ray Tracing

Basic Optics, Chapter 19

 2

Ray Tracing
 In this lecture we will discuss ray tracing
in greater detail
 Ray tracing is a useful skill because it allows you to
determine important properties of an optical system
(and answer questions about them on the OKAP)
 3

Ray Tracing
 In this lecture we will discuss ray tracing
in greater detail
 Ray tracing is a useful skill because it allows you to
determine important properties of an optical system
(and answer questions about them on the OKAP)
 Specifically, we will look more closely at the rules
governing the passage of rays through lenses—
rules that determine:
 The location of an image
 Whether an image is upright or inverted
 The real vs virtual status of objects and images
 The magnification of an image
 4

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Object F1 N F2

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 5

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Object F1 N F2

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 6

Ray Tracing Consider the tip of the object: It has an infinity of

light rays bouncing off of it and heading in all
directions (including into and out of the screen).

Thin plus lens

Object F1 N F2

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 7

Ray Tracing Consider the tip of the object: It has an infinity of

light rays bouncing off of it and heading in all
directions (including into and out of the screen).

Of all these rays, there will be some

Thin plus lens that just catch the edge of the lens,
and any rays more peripheral will
Limiting ray
not pass through the lens. These
‘at the edge’ rays are limiting rays.

Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 8

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Limiting ray

Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y
Because there are an infinity of rays,
one ray must leave the object tip and
--Where will the image be? pass exactly through the nodal point.
--Will it be upright or inverted? Where will that ray go?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 9

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Limiting ray

Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y
Because there are an infinity of rays,
one ray must leave the object tip and
--Where will the image be? pass exactly through the nodal point.
--Will it be upright or inverted? Where will that ray go?
--Are the object and image real or virtual? By definition, a nodal ray must continue
--Will the image be magnified or minified? undeviated by the lens.

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 10

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Limiting ray

Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y Likewise, there is a ray that will leave the
object tip and pass exactly through the
--Where will the image be? primary focal point.
Where will that ray go?
--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 11

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Limiting ray

Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y Likewise, there is a ray that will leave the
object tip and pass exactly through the
--Where will the image be? primary focal point.
Where will that ray go?
--Will it be upright or inverted?
By definition, a ray passing through the
--Are the object and image real or virtual? primary focal point will exit the lens
--Will the image be magnified or minified? parallel to the optical axis.

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 12

Ray Tracing

Finally, there is a ray that will leave the

Thin plusobject
lens tip and encounter the lens on a
path exactly parallel to the optical axis.
Limiting ray Where will that ray go?

Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 13

Ray Tracing

Finally, there is a ray that will leave the

Thin plusobject
lens tip and encounter the lens on a
path exactly parallel to the optical axis.
Limiting ray Where will that ray go?
By definition, upon exiting a lens, a ray
parallel to the optical axis will pass
through the secondary focal point
of the lens.

Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 14

Ray Tracing
Putting it all together, we can see that the image of the
object tip must be located at the intersection of these rays,
and that this determines the location of the image completely!
Thin plus lens
Limiting ray

Image
Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 15

Ray Tracing
In fact, any two of these rays would suffice to determine location

Putting it all together, we can see that the image of the

object tip must be located at the intersection of these rays,
and that this determines the location of the image completely!
Thin plus lens
Limiting ray

Image
Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 16

Ray Tracing
Putting it all together, we can see that the image of the
object tip must be located at the intersection of these rays,
and that this determines the location of the image completely!
Thin plus lens
Limiting ray Further, we can see that
the image is inverted with
inverted
respect to the object

Image
Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 17

Ray Tracing A quick word about upright vs inverted images:

The determining factor is the relative, not absolute, positions of the
Putting it allobject and image. If the object and image are on the same side of
together, we can see that the image of the
the optical axis, the image is upright (even if both are ‘hanging
object tip must bethe
below’ located at the
optical axis). intersection
If they are on oppositeof these
sides, rays,
the image
and that this determines the
is inverted, even if itlocation ofaxis.
is ‘above’ the the image completely!
Thin plus lens
Limiting ray Further, we can see that
the image is inverted with
inverted
respect to the object

Image
Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 18

Ray Tracing
As for whether the image and object are real vs virtual…

Thin plus lens

Limiting ray

Image
Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 19

Ray Tracing
What determines the real vs virtual status of an object and image is
the relationship between the image/object and the rays that define it:
If an image/object and its defining rays are on the same side of the lens, the
Thin
image/object is real; if they areplus
on lens
opposite sides, the image/object is virtual.
Limiting ray

Image
Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 20

Ray Tracing
What determines the real vs virtual status of an object and image is
the relationship between the image/object and the rays that define it:
If an image/object and its defining rays are on the same side of the lens, the
Thin
image/object is real; if they areplus
on lens
opposite sides, the image/object is virtual.
Limiting ray The object and its rays are on the same
side of the lens; therefore, the object is
real; likewise…

Image
Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 21

Ray Tracing
What determines the real vs virtual status of an object and image is
the relationship between the image/object and the rays that define it:
If an image/object and its defining rays are on the same side of the lens, the
Thin
image/object is real; if they areplus
on lens
opposite sides, the image/object is virtual.
Limiting ray The image and its rays are on the same
side of the lens; therefore, the image is
real as well.

Image
Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 22

Ray Tracing
What determines the real vs virtual status of an object and image is
the relationship between the image/object and the rays that define it:
If an image/object and its defining rays are on the same side of the lens, the
Thin
image/object is real; if they areplus
on lens
opposite sides, the image/object is virtual.
Limiting ray

Don’t worry if this real vs virtual distinction seems confusing at the moment.
We will shortly encounter both virtual objects and virtual images,
Image and the

distinction
Object will become
Lim
i Fmore apparent! N F
tin 1 2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 23

Ray Tracing
To determine magnification/minification: If careful ray tracing is
performed, object and image size can be measured on the diagram
and their ratio calculated directly. (There are much easier methods
available; however, that
Thin discussion
plus lens must wait for another chapter!)
Limiting ray

Image
Lim
Object
itin F1 N F2
g
ra
y

--Where will the image be?

--Will it be upright or inverted?
--Are the object and image real or virtual?
--Will the image be magnified or minified?

With regard to this object and its relationship with this optical system…
 24

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 25

Ray Tracing
Trace the:
Nodal ray
Thin plus lens Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 26

Ray Tracing
Trace the:
Nodal ray
Thin plus lens Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 27

Ray Tracing
Trace the:
(True, this ray didn’t pass Nodal ray
through the primary focal
Thin plus lens Secondary focal point ray
point. However, its trajectory Primary focal point ray
to the lens is exactly what it
would have been if it had.
Therefore, it will be refracted
as if it had passed through
the primary focal point.)

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 28

Ray Tracing
But these rays don’t intersect—
Trace the:
where’s the image? Nodal ray
Thin plus lens Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 29

Ray Tracing
But these rays don’t intersect— Extend the rays to find
where’s the image? the point of intersection…
Here is the image location
Thin plus lens The image is upright
The image is magnified

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 30

Ray Tracing
Extend the rays to find
the point of intersection…
Here is the image location
Thin plus lens The image is upright
The image is magnified
Image

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 31

Ray Tracing
Extend the rays to find
the point of intersection…
Here is the image location
Thin plus lens The image is upright
The image is magnified
Image

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 32

Ray Tracing
Extend the rays to find
the point of intersection…
Here is the image location
Thin plus lens The image is upright
The image is magnified
Image

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 33

Ray Tracing

The object and its rays are on

Thin plus lens the same side of the lens,
therefore the object is real

Image

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 34

Ray Tracing

However, the image and its rays

Thin plus lens are on opposite sides of the lens,
therefore the image is virtual

Image

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 35

Ray Tracing
Rule of thumb: If you have to use dashed lines to define
an object or image, it’s probably virtual
However, the image and its rays
Thin plus lens are on opposite sides of the lens,
therefore the image is virtual

Image

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 36

Ray Tracing
Now try this one…
Remember: In Optics problems, the light is always going in this direction!

Thin plus lens

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 37

Ray Tracing
Now try this one…
Trace the:
Nodal ray
Thin plus lens Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 38

Ray Tracing
Now try this one…
Trace the:
Nodal ray
Thin plus lens Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 39

Ray Tracing
Now try this one…
Trace the:
Nodal ray
Thin plus lens Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 40

Ray Tracing
Now try this one…
Trace the:
Nodal ray
Thin plus lens Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 41

Ray Tracing
Now try this one…

Here is…
Thin plus lens The image location
The image is upright
The image is minified

Image Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 42

Ray Tracing
Now try this one…

The object and its rays are on

Thin plus lens opposite sides of the lens,
therefore the object is virtual

Image Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 43

Ray Tracing
Now try this one…
There are those dashed lines again…
The object and its rays are on
Thin plus lens opposite sides of the lens,
therefore the object is virtual

Image Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 44

Ray Tracing
Now try this one…

However, the image and its rays

Thin plus lens are on the same side of the lens,
therefore the image is real

Image Object
F1 N F2

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?

What about this object and its image?

 45

Ray Tracing
Note: Minus lens!

Thin minus lens

Object
F2 N F1

Because it’s a minus lens, the focal points have changed sides
 46

Ray Tracing

Thin minus lens

Trace the:
Nodal ray
Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F2 N F1

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?
 47

Ray Tracing

Thin minus lens

Trace the:
Nodal ray
Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F2 N F1

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?
 48

Ray Tracing

Thin minus lens

Trace the:
Nodal ray
Secondary focal point ray
Primary focal point ray

Object
F2 N F1

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?
 49

Ray Tracing Not actually necessary; we could have

pegged the image with the other two rays

Extend the rays to find

the point of intersection…
Here is the image location Thin minus lens
The image is upright
The image is magnified

Object
F2 N F1

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?
 50

Ray Tracing
Extend the rays to find
the point of intersection…
Here is the image location Thin minus lens
The image is upright
The image is minified

Object Image
F2 N F1

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?
 51

Ray Tracing

The object and its rays are on Thin minus lens

the same sides of the lens,
therefore the object is real

Object Image
F2 N F1

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?
 52

Ray Tracing

The image and its rays are on Thin minus lens

opposite sides of the lens,
therefore the image is virtual

Object Image
F2 N F1

--Image location?
--Upright/inverted?
--Object and image real/virtual?
--Magnified/minified?
 53

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Air (n = 1.0) Air (n = 1.0)

F1 N F2
Primary focal point Secondary focal point

Note: In the discussion thus far, we have assumed the refractive index on
either side of the lens is the same.
 54

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Air (n = 1.0) Water (n = 1.33)

F1 N F2
Primary focal point Secondary focal point

Note: In the discussion thus far, we have assumed the refractive index on
either side of the lens is the same. What if it’s not?
 55

Ray Tracing

Thin plus lens

Air (n = 1.0) Water (n = 1.33)

F1 N N F2 F2
Primary focal point Secondary focal point
Secondary focal point

When n is not the same on both sides of the lens, the nodal point is pulled to
the side with the higher n, and the focal length on that side becomes l o n g e r
 56

Ray Tracing
AIR Thin plus lens AIR

Image

Object F1 N F2

AIR Thin plus lens WATER

Object

Given this lens-object system…

?
What will happen if water replaces
air on the right side of the lens?
 57

Ray Tracing
AIR Thin plus lens AIR

Image

Object F1 N F2

AIR Thin plus lens WATER

Object

Given this lens-object system…

?
What will happen if water replaces
air on the right side of the lens?
 58

Ray Tracing
AIR Thin plus lens AIR

Image

Object F1 N F2

AIR Thin plus lens WATER

Image Image
Object
F1 N N F2 F2

Note that the shifts in the nodal

point and F2 have moved the
image in the same direction